Sanabria’s long-term goal is to be the CEO of a company, but even imagining such a high goal wouldn’t be possible without an education.

“Without the financial assistance at Donnelly,” she said, “I wouldn’t be in college right now.”

Further proof of the college’s success came as alumni were inducted into its hall of fame.

Dr. Ahmed Awad came to Donnelly College in 1984 as part of the English as a Second Language program.

As one of this year’s inductees, he spoke to the SHINE attendees about how Donnelly not only helped him learn English, but also gave him his first taste of French fries and his first lessons in baseball.

Awad went on to medical school and is a nephrologist in Kansas City, Missouri.

“This college offered me an opportunity to pursue my dreams,” he said.

George Breidenthal, who was inducted into the hall of fame posthumously, got his associate’s degree from Donnelly College in 1969.

He went on to become a successful banker, civic leader and board chair of Donnelly College.

The third inductee, Dr. Liza Rodriguez, also came to Donnelly College as part of the English as a Second Language program in 2001.

Father Michael Hermes, who accepted the award for Rodriguez, said, “Instructors awakened in her a passion to become a nurse.”

Rodriguez received her associate’s degree in science from Donnelly, and then went on to graduate from Avila with a degree in nursing and from Kansas University with a doctorate in nursing.

Clearly, Donnelly College is a place where students can shine.

In the college’s 2017 graduating class, 92 percent were students of color and nearly 80 percent were the first in their families to graduate from college.

These success stories wouldn’t be possible without generous donors who help Donnelly keep its promise of a quality, affordable Catholic higher education for anyone who wishes to pursue it.

As Sister Esther Fangman, OSB, said during the opening prayer for SHINE, “God has done great things for Donnelly College.